Elevator-belt drive



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Patented Aug. 16,-1892.

D. A. ROBINSON. ELEVATOR BELT DRIVE.

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(No Model.)

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shee t 2. D. A. ROBINSON. ELEVATOR BELT DRIVE.

No. 481,150. Patented Aug. 16-, 1892,

.7 WW ale a! NITED STATES "ATENT Enron.

DIGHTON A. ROBINSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ELEVATOR-BELT DRIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,150, dated August16, 1892.

. Application filed June 26, 1891. Serial No. 397,624. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DIGHTON A. ROBINSON, of Minneapolis, in the countyof I-Iennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvementsin Elevator-Belt Drives, (Case No. 2,) of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to cheap, simple, and efficient means for operatingthe grain-elevating belts of elevators; and it relates especially toimprovements in the devices set forth and claimed in my priorapplication, numbered 386,535, upon which Letters Patent No. 460,661were issued October 6, 1891, entitled power transmission forgrain-elevators, and its object is to simplify such systems of drives orpower transmission and at the same time to arrange the parts of thesystem with a view to easy access and with a view to safety in regard tofire risks.

To this end my invention consists in the hereinafter-described system ofpower transmission and in constructions and combinations hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical elevation showingtwo pairs of elevator-belt casings and the drives therefor. Figs. 2 and3 show the reverse sides of the elevator-heads and the gearing providedin connection therewith. Fig. at is a plan view from beneath on the liney y of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively side elevations and planviews of a similar drive with a modified form of gearing for securing anopposite direction of rotation for the two elevator head-pulleys. Fig. 7is a similar arrangement, the reversing device being on the other sideof the building.

The preferable form of my system is embodied in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,and the idea in view is the driving of the head-pulleys of twoelevator-belts located in opposite sides of the building, driving thesame in opposite directions, and from a single line or main shaftlocated in the lower part of the building, and, further, to maintain theabsolute control of each elevator-belt from the lower .part of thebuilding. The line-shaft 2 is arranged in bearings secured on theframework of the lower story of the building, and is driven in in anyconvenient manner. The elevatorbelts 3 and 3 pass up through thevertical casings 4 and 4?, one pair of which is shown, and embrace theline-shaft 2. These casings 4 pass up through the bins and at theirupper ends merge into the heads 5 and 6 contain ing the head-pulleys forthe elevator-belts, the shafts 7 and 7 of which extend out on each sideand are secured in bearings pro vided on the framework 9. The shaft 2extends throughout the length of the building, and as many pair ofelevator-belts as desired maybe arranged in connection therewith.

Each elevator-head is represented in the lower part of the building by adrive-pulley 10, secured on the shaft 2 by permanent fastenings or byfriction-clutches. In practice the latter are employed, thereby givingperfect control of every part of the elevator from the lower story ofthe building. Further, this arrangement dispenses with the use offriction-clutches in the upper part or cupola of the building, therebydecreasing the expense of maintenance and repairs, and further avoidingall danger offire in a part of the building not readily accessible. Thedrivebelts which I employ each consist of a number of strands of ropeand pass over grooved pulleys 1O, 11, 12, 13, and 14;, arranged on theline-shaft and in the cupola of the building. The relative longitudinalpositions of these parts are shown most clearly in Fig. 4, which is aplan view looking up toward the bottoms of the heads, hence showing thelegs of the elevator-casings 4 and the upright posts of the frame 9 incross-section. From a pulley 10 on the line-shaft the rope drive-belt 15passes up along the sides of the casing and over the idler-pulleys 12and 13, as shown in Fig. 1. From thence the drive-belt extends in a loopacross the building and around the drive-pulley 14, arranged on theshort counter-shaft 16, provided directly beneath the head 6. A pinion17 is arranged on this shaft 16 and meshes with thelarge gear-wheel 18,secured on the shaft 7, which shaft bears the head-pulley of theelevator-belt on that side of the building. The other elevator-belt isdriven by the drive 19, which passes up between the legs of the casingand over the drive-pulley 11, arranged between the same and upon theshaft 20, provided at asufficient distance below the head 5 to allow thefree admittance of the large drive-pulley 11. In order to communicatethe movement of this pulley to the head-pulley in the head 5, and alsosecured the rotation of the same in a direction opposite to the pulleyin the head 6, I provide a sprocket-wheel-and-chain device. (Shownclearly in Fig. 3.) The small sprocket 21 is secured on the shaft 20 andthe large one 22 on the shaft 7 The relative sizes of the sprockets 21and 22 are the same as of the gears 17 and 18, and hence twoelevator-belts will move at the same speed. The sprocket or linkedbelt-chain 23 passes over the two wheels, secured on their shafts and atone side of the head 5. Assuming that the shaft 10 revolves in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 1, it will be seen that though both belts15 and 19 run in the same direction,the gearand-pinion device reversesthe direction of the drive on the elevator-belt 3 with respect to theother elevator-belt, which moves in the same direction as the belt 19,owing to the use of the direct sprocket-drive.

In places where it is not convenient to make use of thesprocket-and-chain arrangement I may employ a pinion and gear upon eachhead by providing other means for reversing the action of one of thedrive-belts. Such means I have shown in Figs. 5, (l, and 7. Where thegears are employed, it is necessary to place the shafts 25 and 26 soclose to the bottoms of the head that it is impossible to get thedrive-pulleys 27 and 28 into the positions shown in Fig.1, and they arelocated at one side of their respective heads. The main shaft 2 and thepulleys 10 thereon are identical with those shown in Fig. 1, except thatthe pulleys 10 are necessarily placed farther apart, so that adrive-belt may pass up each side of the elevator-casing. One drive-belt29 extends up and is passed over the drivepulley 27,wl1ile the otherbelt 30 passes over the idlers 31 and thence across to the pulley 28. Asshown in Figs. 5 and 7,I may reverse on either side of the building bymeans of a return-loop 32, formed in the drive-belt, by the use of theextra idler-pulleys 33 33. One head-pulley and its elevator-belt aredriven positively, therefore, while the other is reversed with respectto the same, as the belt, passing from the idler back over thedrivepulley, obviously runs the same in a direction opposite to that ofthe other counter-shaft pulley. It is obvious that the idlers 12 and 13and 31 31 might with a similar effect be located in the lower floor ofthe building and a long drive-belt extended up by the side of thecasings 12. For reasons of economy in cost and in space, however, theconstruction shown is preferred.

In practice I arrange suitable devices in connection with eachdrive-belt for taking up the slack therein; but such devices being wellknown in the art I have deemed it unnecessary to either illustrate ordescribe them.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination, with elevator-belts occupyingtransversely-opposite positions one to the other, of head and bootpulleys therefor, said boot-pulleys for said belts arranged in the lowerpart of the building, a main longitudinal shaft arranged in the lowerpart of the building, means for driving the same, short counter-shaftsarranged in connection with said head-pulleys, drive -pulleys arrangedon each counter-shaft, corresponding drive-pulleys arranged on said mainshaft, said boot and drive pulleys being secured on separate shafts,separate drive'belts passing from the latter to each counter-shaftdrivepulley, and means for reversing the operating direction of one ofsaid belts, whereby said elevator-belts are caused to run in oppositedirections, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with elevator-belts, of head and boot pulleystherefor, counter-shafts in connection With said head-pulleys, a mainshaft located in the lower part of the building and in closer proximityto one of said belts than to the other, drive-pulleys on said shafts,drive-belts passing over the same, one of said belts operating overidlers adapting the same to be carried across the building at an angleto the main portion of the belt, and means for reversing the directionof rotation of one of said belts with respect to its elevator-belt,whereby said elevator-belts are operated in opposite directions,substantially as described.

8. The combination, with two elevator-belts arranged transverselyopposite one another, head and boot pulleys therefor, a main shaftpassing between the legs of one of said elevator-belts, counter-shaftsarranged between the same and in proximity to said head-pulleys,drive-pulleys on said counter-shafts and said main shafts, drive-beltspassing over corresponding sets of said pulleys, one of said drive-beltspassing up between the legs of the elevator-belt, embracing said mainshaft and connected to the head-pulley of said elevator by asprocket-wheel and chain-belt device, and a gear-and-pinion connectionwith the other elevator-belt head-pulley for the other drive-pulley,substantially as described.

4E. The combination, with the elevator-belts, of head and boot pulleystherefor, countershafts in connection with said head-pulleys, amain-line shaft arranged in the lower story of the building and embracedbetween the sides or legs of one of said elevator belts, idlers arrangedin the top of the building, and rope drive-belts passing over the samethe sprockets 21 and 22, the sprocket-chain [O 23, passing over thesame, the pinion 17 and gear-Wheel 18, arranged as described, and therope drive-belts 15 and 19, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th vday of June,1891.

DIGHTON A. ROBINSON.

In presence df- PAUL GoREs, FRED SCHAEFFER.

